To help Manchester's 98 manufacturing firms cut through the maze and get the timely answers they need, a partnership has formed to provide a telephone hotline to be formally launched in September.

Partners in establishing the informational hub — the town, Capital Workforce Partners, AdChem Manufacturing Technologies and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce — held a press conference Tuesday at AdChem on Progress Drive.

"This is an important time for our town's manufacturers. We're all looking for qualified workers and trying to find the best ways to meet increasing production demands," said Michael Polo, president of AdChem and chairman of the Manchester Workforce Development Commission. "I know this hotline is going to be a great help to us in the coming year. We all need this kind of support, because most of us don't even know where to begin looking for these answers."

A local consulting service, the Connecticut Manufacturers' Resource Group, will staff the hotline. Over the next two months, the consultant will assess manufacturers' needs and determine the main issues they face in keeping their companies alive and well.

The service is being funded by Capital Workforce Partners and the town, with underwriting from area businesses.

The path to the hotline began about two years ago, when the town board of directors discussed ways to help local manufacturers, General Manager Scott Shanley said. Town leaders, Shanley said, learned about the myriad issues that manufacturers' face and the need for a central, reliable source of information.

The resource group's board of directors has expertise in issues such as training programs, tax breaks, software development, human resources management, marketing and public relations, finance and law.

"Manufacturers know what they know," said Beth Devine, founding member of the Connecticut Manufacturers' Resource Group. "They understand their products and processes, but they often don't have the resources available to devote to all aspects of business management, at least not from a full-time staffing perspective. They have to do more with less."

Although the hotline will be formally launched in September, it is active now, Devine said. The number is: 860-432-9977.

"Our goal is not only to provide answers, but to provide those answers simply and quickly," Devine said. "We're not going to give them phone numbers or tell them where to look for information. We'll get the information for them so they don't have to take time away from running their businesses."